It’s 4 PM, and your mind wanders to what you’re going to eat for dinner that night. I send out meal plans to help set you up for the week, but sometimes, the weekends have way too much going on to plan ahead. Here are my top 11 weeknight-friendly Middle Eastern meals that let you get dinner on the table in under an hour.
These Syrian Inspired Almond Crusted Chicken Fingers take sliced chicken breast coated in yogurt, and then a “breading” of pulverized almonds and spices, and roasted in the oven until cooked through and browned. Once you try the spiced ketchup it will basically be the only way you’ll eat ketchup.
20 Minute Oven Chicken Shawarma uses a bunch of staple warm spices, like cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, and crushed red pepper, so you probably already have most of the ingredients on hand. It’s perfect on top of a salad or wrapped in sandwiches with pickles.
With Aleppo pepper paste, tons of garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil, The Juiciest Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken, might be one of the most flavorful chicken dishes in your rotation. If it’s not grilling season, brown the chicken thighs over high heat on the stove and then finish cooking it in the oven in the sauce. Make sure you warm the sauce a bit beforehand to speed up the cooking process. Also, feel free to skip the overnight marinade and make it right away.
I love Kefta Bisaniyeh because it’s protein-packed, super simple, and versatile. Use whatever veggies and spices you have on hand. I sometimes add in pepper paste or parsley in the meat mixture, and sometimes I don’t. You can even add tahini in the sauce instead of pomegranate molasses. Play with it and see how you like it.
With Steak Shawarma Tacos, you get the same flavor profile of lamb shawarma but with a little twist with the za’atar guacamole. Beef cooks faster than lamb, making this super weeknight friendly.
Spinach, ground beef, onions, garlic, and cilantro make this a flavorful and nutritious meal that’s easy to make. You get all of your food groups in one dish, so you won’t have to try to figure out a veggie for the table.
These are a great option if you’re trying to eat less meat, or even if you’re not. They’re super flavorful and come together really quickly.
A classic dish that celebrates onions in a lentil and bulgur pilaf. This version uses bulgur instead of rice for a bit more nutrition. Cook the bulgur and lentils at the same time as you caramelize the onions to save some time.
This zesty, nutritious, and protein-packed salad is hearty enough to stand alone as a meal or be served as a side.
Since we use canned chickpeas here, this meal is super weeknight friendly. You get a similar flavor to the original falafel, but with a slightly healthier twist. if you don’t have an hour to dry the chickpeas, speed up the process by blotting them with paper towels while laid out on a baking sheet.
Shredded zucchini, tomatoes, bulgur, and garlic makes really great leftover lunch.
Another plant-based bulgur classic, this dish utilizes fava beans, garlic, and cilantro. Used frozen fava beans to save time with shelling.
I hope you give this recipe a try! If you do, don’t forget to put it in the comments so everyone knows how it worked out. I also love to see your creations! You can tag me on social media at #omayahcooks, @omayah.atassi on Instagram, @omayah on Pinterest, and @omayahatassiphoto on Facebook.
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